What if only one of us is on the lease?

The lease-holder is the only one with a legal relationship to the landlord and bears full liability for rent and damages. The other roommates are technically the lease-holder's sub-tenants (or guests, depending on jurisdiction). A roommate agreement is especially important in this situation: it documents the others' obligation to pay rent to the lease-holder and any conditions of their stay.

Can the agreement override the lease?

No. If the master lease prohibits something (subletting, pets, additional occupants), the roommate agreement cannot authorise it without the landlord's consent. If the lease and the roommate agreement conflict, the lease wins for any matter affecting the landlord.

How do we change the agreement when a roommate moves out?

Sign a new agreement (or an amendment) reflecting the new household: who is on the lease, the updated rent split, the new deposit allocation, and any policy changes. All current roommates should sign. Keep the prior version on file in case any disputes about the transition arise.

What if a roommate refuses to sign?

You cannot force a signature, but you can decline to live with someone who will not commit to written terms. The discomfort of insisting on the document at move-in is much less than the cost of having no document when a problem arises later.

Roommate Agreement

Agreement between roommates sharing a rental, covering rent split, utilities, chores, guests, and dispute resolution.

Customise

Shared property address

Whose name is on the lease?

Roommate names (one per line)

Agreement start date

Total monthly rent (USD)

Rent split (one line per roommate, format: name — amount or %)

Utilities & shared bills

Security deposit allocation

Chores / shared spaces (one per line)

Guests / overnight visitors policy

Quiet hours

Move-out notice between roommates (days)

Dispute resolution

Additional terms (optional)

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ROOMMATE AGREEMENT

Effective date: May 4, 2026

This Roommate Agreement is entered into among the persons signing below ("Roommates") who jointly occupy the residence located at:
482 Elm Street, Apt 3B, Portland, OR 97214

Lease holders of record: Jordan Taylor and Sam Rivera (joint tenants on master lease)

This Agreement governs the relationship among the Roommates only. It does not modify the master lease with the Landlord, which remains the sole document governing the Roommates' obligations to the Landlord.

1. ROOMMATES
Jordan Taylor
Sam Rivera
Alex Morgan

2. RENT
Total monthly rent: $2,400.00.

Allocation among Roommates:
Jordan Taylor — $900 (master bedroom)
Sam Rivera — $800 (second bedroom)
Alex Morgan — $700 (smallest bedroom)

Each Roommate is responsible for their own share by the rent due date. Failure to pay on time obliges that Roommate to reimburse any other Roommate who covers the shortfall to keep the master lease current, with interest at the lower of 1% per month or the maximum rate allowed by law.

3. UTILITIES & SHARED EXPENSES
Internet, electricity, gas, and water — split equally three ways. Streaming subscriptions paid by individual subscribers. Groceries individually unless explicitly bought for shared use.

4. SECURITY DEPOSIT
Each roommate contributes their pro-rata share matching their rent percentage. Refunds at move-out are returned in the same proportions, less any deductions caused by that roommate.

5. CHORES & SHARED SPACES
- Kitchen: rotate weekly cleaning duty.
- Bathrooms: each roommate cleans their own; common bathroom rotates monthly.
- Trash & recycling: weekly rotation per posted schedule.
- Yard / common entry: collective once per month.

6. GUESTS
Overnight guests welcome up to 3 nights per week without prior approval; longer stays require advance notice and group consent. No subletting, AirBnB, or unannounced extended guests.

7. QUIET HOURS
Sun–Thu: 10:00 PM – 7:00 AM. Fri–Sat: midnight – 8:00 AM.

8. MOVE-OUT BY A ROOMMATE
A Roommate intending to leave shall give the others at least 30 days' written notice. The departing Roommate is responsible for finding a suitable replacement subject to the approval of the remaining Roommates and the Landlord, or for continuing to pay their share of rent until a replacement is found, whichever happens first.

9. DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Disputes are first raised at the next house meeting. If unresolved within two weeks, roommates agree to one round of mediation through a community mediation service before any party seeks legal remedies.

10. ADDITIONAL TERMS
- Shared kitchen items remain in the apartment when a roommate moves out only if originally bought as a "house" item, documented in the household ledger.

11. SCOPE
This Agreement is enforceable among the Roommates as a contract. It does not create any rights or obligations between any Roommate and the Landlord beyond what the master lease provides.

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

ROOMMATE SIGNATURES

_______________________________ Date: _______________
(Roommate)

About this template

A roommate agreement is the document that prevents friendships from being destroyed by who took the last of the milk. Most disputes between roommates are not about the lease — those are about cleaning, guests, noise, and the shifting question of "what is fair." Writing the rules down at move-in, when everyone is on their best behaviour, gives the household a neutral reference to point to when conflicts emerge later. The single most important provision is what happens when one roommate moves out unexpectedly: the others are still on the master lease, still owe the full rent, and need a clear process for replacing the departing person. The second most important is the dispute-resolution clause — agreeing in advance to a mediation step prevents minor friction from escalating to a court case (or, more commonly, to a passive-aggressive house migration). A roommate agreement is not a substitute for the master lease and does not give roommates legal standing against the landlord; it only governs the roommates' relationship with each other.

When to use it

New shared housing where roommates were not previously living together.
Adding a new roommate to an established household.
Changing the rent split or chore arrangement.
After a conflict, to formalise expectations going forward.

What to include

Names of all roommates and which are on the master lease.
Rent amount per roommate and how late payment is handled.
Utility split and shared-expenses rules.
Security-deposit contribution and refund allocation.
Guest, noise, and shared-space rules.
Process for a roommate moving out (notice, replacement).
Dispute-resolution steps before legal action.

Frequently asked

Yes — it is a contract between the roommates and is enforceable in small-claims court if a roommate breaches it (e.g. fails to pay their share or refuses to find a replacement). It is not enforceable against the landlord, who is bound only by the master lease.

⚠ Legal disclaimer. This template is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal advice from a qualified attorney. Always consult a licensed professional before using this document for any binding agreement.